H7 Story: "Bringing the Hope of the Gospel to Colombia"

By Matthew Nasekos 

Last year, a Christian from Colombia reached out to me and asked if a team of people could come and reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ while bringing humanitarian aid to needy people living without much hope. We answered this call by taking a team of FCC members and Longview LIVE BOLD Interns. One of these FCC members was my youngest son, James. James is 13, and this is his third mission trip to South and Central America. I love encouraging parents to take their children whenever possible to join them in gospel ministry. Serving alongside your children and seeing God use them in mighty ways is a joy. For nine days this past January, we brought the hope of the gospel to people in Colombia.

We visited a community nestled over 9,000 feet high in the mountains. This community did not have access to clean water. The water they did have was captured rainwater. There was also no church for a community with a population larger than Greeneville. We visited the sick, disabled, and hurting. We brought food, water filters, and shoes. We visited the people in their homes and taught them that God gives hope and life through his Son, Jesus. We stayed with them, cooked food with them over outdoor fires, encouraged, taught, preached, and held a camp for the community kids. We learned food we gave them for lunch during camp was more than they typically ate in a full day.

The kids did not have access to schools, and many did not know how to read, but we taught them verses of the Bible. After the first day of camp, one of the girls told us that she wanted all of her friends to hear the good news of Jesus and asked if she could bring them the next day. Of course, we said yes. Each we day we saw kids invite their friends, brothers, and sisters to experience camp fun and learn of our Savior, Jesus!

One evening, we invited the community to a bonfire where we taught them that God made a way for us to live forever by sending his Son, Jesus, to live the perfect life that we cannot live. We taught them that He died on the cross to take the penalty of our sin and wrath of God on himself, come alive on the third day, and that believing in him gives eternal life. After the bonfire, one of the parents of a camper said, "The kids are smiling, and their faces are glowing like never before. You have brought us light and hope. May what you brought us live here long after you are gone. We are a neglected people. So many have neglected us - the world, our government, and even our own people, those that are supposed to be helping us. So many neglect us. But you came to us. Thank you for not neglecting us."

Some leaders in the community went on to tell us that no outside people had ever come to stay with them and tell them the stories about God that we were telling them. They said, "We understand that God came to be with us and save us because you came to be with us. No one has ever done that before."

On one of our hikes up the mountain, we met a girl who could not walk and was bound to her wheelchair. We asked her if she wanted to join us, and she was thrilled. I wish you could have seen her face light up with excitement when we carried her from her home to the camp. When she saw the other kids running, she told us she wanted to run, too. We prayed for her and told her that even if she never runs here, if she loves Jesus, a day will come in eternity when she will be able to run. We shared the gospel with her, fed her (she cannot feed herself), helped her make some crafts, and let her experience as much camp as possible.

The pain and desperation of the people were evident daily. There was hunger and thirst. There was fear and abuse. There was difficulty and suffering. There was sickness and death. There was darkness. Yet, through it all, our team brought the light and hope of the gospel. Near the end of our time with them, many had put their faith in Jesus. Many believed, and they rejoiced in that.

But then they had another request for us. They said, "We believe. We know we have eternal life. But who will teach us more? Who will shepherd us? Who will send us so that others beyond these mountains will know Jesus and have new life?" Those words still ring in my ears. I am praying that the church in Colombia will send shepherds to them. I am also praying about going back again. Maybe some of you reading this will come with us to continue to teach, give hope, train, shepherd, encourage, build, strengthen, and care for these new believers who are begging for someone to come to them and help them share Jesus with others that have not yet heard.